What is a Master Classroom?

Students and faculty at Middle Tennessee State University are exploring new ways of
teaching and learning in "master classrooms." These specially-equipped classrooms
combine powerful computing, effective display, and the wealth of information available
through networks to provide a more flexible and exciting learning environment that
accommodates different teaching and learning styles. Studies show that students tend
to retain more as well as learn faster if they see, hear, and interact during the
learning process. Master classrooms help provide these pathways for learning.

The concept of the master classroom was developed at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill by Kathryn Conway. Conway defines the master classroom as a specially-equipped
classroom that provides a wide range of computer, media, projection, communication,
and control capabilities, including connection to the campus network. The master classroom
differs from a computer classroom in that it usually does not have individual computers
for each student, but rather has a single computer that can be used by an instructor
or student(s) for presentations, simulations, on-line access, and multimedia.